"You look like a new face," Lee Seojun said, raising an eyebrow as he towel-dried his neck.
Seojun. The most glowingly radiant man I'd ever seen. It was rumored that he cared more about his skincare routine than what he ate. His skin gleamed like a glazed donut, and standing under the practice room lights, he didn't even look real.
"No, I'm not new in this room," I replied. "But yeah, new to working with such a high-end band like you guys. I can already feel the pressure."
He chuckled. "Uh-huh. Don't feel it too soon. You haven't even started yet."
"Yeah," another voice cut in. "Let's hope that optimism sticks."
Kim Leo. Sharp eyes, sharper tongue. I'd heard stories about him from other backup dancers, and it didn't take more than five seconds to understand why. The tension in the room shifted slightly as he stepped forward, a natural authority in the way he moved—even in warmups.
Before I could respond, a calm voice broke through the air.
"Should we start with the stretch?"
Sim Jae. I'd heard his voice a thousand times—through interviews, performances, commercials. But hearing it like this? Casual, off-script? It felt surreal. His Aussie accent wrapped around each word like silk, making the mundane sound cinematic.
"Sure!" someone said.
"Let's get it!"
"Fighting!"
It all blended together as the members hyped one another up.
"Fighting," I echoed absentmindedly, throwing up a tiny fist of encouragement.
And immediately regretted it.
I could feel my face heating up as my eyes dropped to the floor. But then—
"Fighting," Sim Jae repeated, with a soft smile. His eyes locked onto mine, shimmering with amusement, like he was soothing a flustered child. Then, he turned and walked away like it was nothing. But I was frozen in place, trying to figure out if that actually just happened.
Snap out of it, Siwon.
"You know the choreo?" Leo asked, cutting through my fog like a blade.
He sounded more like a choreographer than a fellow performer. I straightened, trying not to shrink beneath his gaze.
"No," I admitted. My voice was too soft, and I hated that about myself.
"Positions?" he asked, folding his arms.
I shook my head again.
"You know the song?"
"I—"
"So you don't know anything."
His words landed like slaps. I flinched.
"What were you saying? Sorry, he just gets too serious about dance," Park Junseok, the leader, stepped in gently.
Leo rolled his eyes and leaned against the mirrored wall, clearly unimpressed.
"I just... I got the news on my way here," I explained quickly. "That I'm filling in temporarily for someone. I didn't have time to prep."
"You can be permanent," Ryan said suddenly, stepping forward from behind me.
I turned to him. "Permanent?"
Before he could elaborate, Jiwoo chimed in with a scoff. "Permanent?"
The way she said it sliced right through me. We'd worked together before. She'd never liked me. Probably because one of her past partners—an idol—chose me for a stage instead of her. Not my fault. I didn't ask to be chosen. But the resentment in her eyes never went away.
"You?" Ryan asked, looking at her.
"Jiwoo," she answered flatly.
Ryan looked at Sim Jae. "Hyung, help her out?"
He handed Sim Jae his phone as if it were an offering, and blinked at him—slowly, exaggeratedly. Almost like a wink.
Was that a wink?
"Come," Sim Jae said simply, turning to me. "Should we use a private room or can you manage here?"
His voice was polite, but I could see something glinting in his eyes. When he glanced at Ryan, there was a tiny smirk forming—as if they were having an unspoken conversation.
"Start your practice," Ryan said, strolling past me casually. "Here."
The way he smiled as he said it... it was lethal. Idol-worthy, and then some.
I took my position, trying to focus as Sim Jae moved beside me.
But my eyes flicked up just once—just once—and I caught him looking at me.
No expression. Just watching.
The routine started slow, but it was punishing. My foot—still healing—ached with every directional shift. I knew this choreography. I'd seen the video maybe once. But doing it in real-time, next to people who had been living and breathing it for weeks?
It felt like drowning in front of lifeguards.
"Your turn," Sim Jae said.
I went through the steps. Left. Cross. Drop. Pivot.
A sharp jolt of pain went up my leg, and I flinched. My rhythm broke. I stumbled.
"Stop," Leo said.
My heart sank.
"Do you really think you can make it with us at that pace?" His tone was calm, but laced with challenge.
The words burned. I wasn't new to this world. I'd been dancing backup since I was sixteen. I'd performed through sprains, fever, heartbreak. But now, standing in front of LOVE2, being scrutinized like I was a joke?
My eyes pooled with tears. But I didn't let them fall.
"I'm fine," I said, straightening.
Ryan had been standing near the mirrors. He glanced at Leo, then at me.
A moment passed.
"Let's take a short break," Ryan said suddenly.
Everyone stopped.
The tension shifted.
"Are you okay?" Shiaan whispered, stepping beside me. She had been quiet until now.
"I will be," I said quietly. "The pain's there. I just have to manage."
"You shouldn't even be here yet, Siwon. That foot isn't healed."
"I can't afford to stop," I said. "I'm not like you guys. I don't get second chances."
From the other side of the room, I heard a faint laugh.
"She's tough," someone said. Maybe Junseok.
But then came something else.
"You're being way too cautious, Ryan," Seojun said.
"Huh?" Ryan replied lazily.
"You called the break right after Leo said that. What's the story?"
"You're afraid she'll cry?" Junseok teased.
"No, no," Leo chimed in. "He just doesn't like watching girls get sad. Especially pretty ones."
Laughter.
I sat down against the wall, trying to slow my breathing.
From across the room, Sim Jae looked up. Our eyes met.
He didn't say anything.
But he didn't look away either.
...